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Seth Bloombaum · November 30th, 2008, 07:49 PM

I've shot many hours of dual-system video with a 744T and Sony Z1. Because I was not in circumstances that allowed the use of slates, we mostly went with time-of-day timecode.

We'd set both devices for free-run (not record-run) TC, and manually sync them. This process was good for rough sync - to get the right audio take together with the right video take. We probably got better than 15 frames.

From here, it was easy to use waveforms and reducing and eliminating echo between the camera audio and the 744 audio for fine sync.

I can recommend this workflow for long takes (we were covering music events, with 20-minute to 1-hour takes). If your EX1 TC generator works like Sony's tape-based cams, eg. PD-150, PD-170, HVR-Z1, HVR-V1, then it ought to work for you.

So, yes, I think TC capability is a very good thing in a location audio recorder, even if your current camera doesn't support TC Jam & etc.

And of course using your recorder with a smart slate provides usually painless sync in post. But there's nothing wrong with a dumb slate & sync to the clap - it's a proven workflow when you can get in there with a slate.

November 30th, 2008, 07:49 PM	#7
Seth Bloombaum Trustee Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 1,711	I've shot many hours of dual-system video with a 744T and Sony Z1. Because I was not in circumstances that allowed the use of slates, we mostly went with time-of-day timecode. We'd set both devices for free-run (not record-run) TC, and manually sync them. This process was good for rough sync - to get the right audio take together with the right video take. We probably got better than 15 frames. From here, it was easy to use waveforms and reducing and eliminating echo between the camera audio and the 744 audio for fine sync. I can recommend this workflow for long takes (we were covering music events, with 20-minute to 1-hour takes). If your EX1 TC generator works like Sony's tape-based cams, eg. PD-150, PD-170, HVR-Z1, HVR-V1, then it ought to work for you. So, yes, I think TC capability is a very good thing in a location audio recorder, even if your current camera doesn't support TC Jam & etc. And of course using your recorder with a smart slate provides usually painless sync in post. But there's nothing wrong with a dumb slate & sync to the clap - it's a proven workflow when you can get in there with a slate.